DID YOU READ

Chris Morris and the Roar of “Four Lions”

Perhaps one of the most unusual sights of the Sundance Film Festival was seeing British comedy legend Chris Morris walking around and doing Q&As after screenings of his “jihadi comedy” “Four Lions.” Infamous in Britain for his shows “The Day Today” (which helped launch the career of Steve Coogan) and “Brass Eye,” Morris is generally regarded as something of a recluse, and rarely gives interviews.

Not that he’s shy. Dear god, no. To say that Morris’s work has flirted with controversy is a bit of an understatement: A “Brass Eye” TV special he once did on the pedophilia scare reportedly broke records for complaints it generated. And back in early 2002, he penned, with fellow Brit satirist and “In the Loop” director Armando Iannucci, “Six Months that Changed a Year,” an “absolute atrocity special” satirizing the response to 9/11.

Telling the story of a group of hapless terrorists plotting a coordinated suicide bombing, Morris’s feature directorial debut “Four Lions” takes his work in a decidedly new direction. The kind of film that can use someone blowing themselves to bits as a punchline for a gag, “Lions'” tone is darkly ironic rather than confrontational. It’s also the product of years of scrupulous research, which resulted in a surprising degree of cooperation from the British Muslim community. During his visit to Sundance, I spoke to Morris about bending genres, preferring Howard Stern to Jon Stewart, and the psyche of suicide bombers.

This film is a very strange hybrid — it’s got a lot of broad comedy, but it’s also very serious and tragic in some regards.

I think the appropriate word for it is “tragicomedy.” If you just made a film that said, “Guys making these kinds of plots are ridiculous,” you’d be lying. After the research I did, which included going to court cases and talking to loads of people, I wanted to convey the point that a terrorist could also be a humorously flawed person. But the companion thought to that is, of course, they’re also people, which in itself is subversive to the notion of what a terrorist is. A lot of films I like bend genres as well. “Dr. Strangelove” is really a half hour thriller stretched out to give you enough time to include lots of comic routines. If you look at the film, the seriousness of the mechanics of what’s going on — the assault on the airbase, the detail inside the airplane — that’s definitely transgenre. Those could be outtakes from a serious war film. And I think comedy can be left frivolously flapping about on the high tide end if it doesn’t dig in somewhere.

In some ways, this is a much darker film than “In the Loop,” which, despite being about the run-up to a war, makes it quite easy to sit back and watch and enjoy without feeling at all uncomfortable.

I absolutely adore “In the Loop” — I laughed from beginning to end — but it’s affirmative, basically. It’s a universal rallying cry to say, “Fuck politicians!” and “Aren’t they a bunch of conniving gits?” It’s never going to rip the carpet off from under your feet. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, ’cause I’m fairly intolerant of stuff that calls itself comedy. How rare is it to laugh at all at a film that calls itself a comedy, let alone to laugh all the way through?

Some would say that satire is a dead art nowadays.

There’s satire out there. “South Park” is satirical. “Team America” is pretty satirical of genre. But satire in itself, as a raw element, can be pretty dull. “Dr. Strangelove” could be dull without some sparked up performances and its beautiful tone. I actually do think satire can get formulaic: “It’s a satire so I don’t really have to have any jokes.” There’s a certain Route 1 satire shape you can fall into, and I’m really concerned about that, actually. It’s a formula that is given too much license.

For example, I prefer Howard Stern to Jon Stewart. There’s something innately, intuitively subversive about his take on things. Really, really funny, without rules. You wouldn’t call it satire — I’d say it’s better than satire. And I often think of films as comedies when they’re not comedies. “Festen (The Celebration),” I thought, was very funny. It had much more value, because it kicked hard. Whereas something that comes along and says, “Hi, I’m a comedy,” like “Tropic Thunder,” makes me want to rip up the whole cinema — just a godawful waste of money and time.

Tell me about the “fatwa-proof research” that you did for “Four Lions.”

That’s an unfortunate non-quote that’s being spread around. It’s attributed to my producer, but I’m pretty sure it’s a journalistic product. I did do a lot of research. I wanted to make sure the scenarios in the film came from a real place. I met lots of Muslims who had nothing to do with anything radical whatsoever, which gave me a fair sense of how the landscape lay in Britain, and all the differences between the different village communities that ended up in different mill towns. That puts into sharp relief what happens in these tiny radical pockets. Making this film [had] nothing to do with attacking the Koran or casting aspersions about the Prophet or anything like that. 99.99% of the people I met shared those precious things but weren’t remotely interested in blowing up anyone.

I was impressed that the film also didn’t offer up a list of grievances — some obligatory, politically correct scene where we see all the horrible things that the West has done in Muslim countries, or something like that.

There are works of fiction which seek to explain jihadi terrorists as the militant wing of Amnesty International. I don’t buy that. I wanted to avoid it for dramatic reasons as well. I didn’t want some scene where Omar was confronted with terrible footage from an Afghani school that had been blown up by a drone or something. In a way, that would be too specific. We know that this sort of thing happens, of course. I thought with all the characters you could basically pick up why each of them would be involved with this and to categorize them. The “Black Widows” [Chechen female suicide bombers in Russia] were very different than some lads in Surrey planning to blow up a nightclub, for example. And it’s not fair to pretend they’re the same.

The Best Of The Last

The end is near. In mere days Portlandia wraps up its final season, and oh what a season it’s been. Lucky for you, you can watch the entire season right now right here and on the IFC app, including this free episode courtesy of Subaru.

But now, let’s take a moment to look back at some of the new classics Fred and Carrie have so thoughtfully bestowed upon us. (We’ll be looking back through tear-blurred eyes, but you do you.)

Couples Dinner

It’s not that being single sucks, it’s that you suck if you’re single.

Cancel it!

A sketch for anyone who has cancelled more appointments than they’ve kept. Which is everyone.

Forgotten America

This one’s a “Serial” killer…everything both right and wrong about true crime podcasts.

Wedding Planners

The only bad wedding is a boring wedding.

Disaster Hut

It’s only the end of the world if your doomsday kit doesn’t include rosé.

Your Portlandia Personality Test

Carrie and Fred understand that although we have so much in common, we’re each so beautifully unique and different. To help us navigate those differences, Portlandia has found an easy and honest way to embrace our special selves in the form of a progressive new traffic system: a specific lane for every kind of driver. It’s all in honor of the show’s 8th and final season, and it’s all presented by Subaru.

Ready to find out who you really are? Match your personality to a lane and hop on the expressway to self-understanding.

Lane 10: Trucks Piled With Junk

Your junk is falling out of your trunk. Shake a tail light, people — this lane is for you.

Lane 33: Twins

You’re like a Gemini, but waaaay more pedestrian. Maybe you and a friend just wear the same outfits a lot. Who cares, it’s just twinning enough to make you feel special.

Lane 27: Broken Windows

Bad luck follows you around and everyone knows it. Your proverbial seat is always damp from proverbial rain. Is this the universe telling you to swallow your pride? Yes.

Lane 69: Filthy Cars

You’re all about convenience. Getting your car washed while you drive is a no-brainer.

Lane 43: Newly Divorced Singles

It’s been a while since you’ve driven alone, and you don’t know the rules of the road anymore. What’s too fast? What’s too slow? Are you sending the right signals? Don’t worry, the breakdown lane is nearby if you need it.

Still can’t find a lane to match your personality? Check out all the videos here. And see the final season of Portlandia this spring on IFC.

Last-Minute Holiday Gift Guide

It’s the final countdown to Christmas and thanks to IFC’s movie marathon all Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, you can revel in classic ’80s films AND find inspiration for your last-minute gifts. Here are our recommendations, if you need a head start:

Musical Instrument

Great analog entertainment substitute when you refuse to give your kid the Nintendo Switch they’ve been drooling over.

Breakfast In Bed

Any significant other or child would appreciate these Uncle Buck-approved flapjacks. Just make sure you’re not stuck on clean up duty.

Cocktail Supplies

You’ll need them to get through the holidays.

Dance Lessons

So you can learn to shake-shake-shake (unless you know ghosts willing to lend a hand).

Comfy Clothes

With all the holiday meals, there may be some…embigenning.

Get even more great inspiration all Christmas Eve and Day on IFC, and remember…